Kudos to NCSoft: The pre-ordering process for Wildstar was one of the smoothest that I have seen for a long time. When you buy the game and already have an account, they helpfully ask if you want to apply the game code to that account, and then lead you through the subscription options. They even accept PayPal for both the purchase and the subscription.

I recommend the standard edition. The deluxe edition appears to have only a few virtual items thrown in, of which probably the hoverboard is the only remotely interesting one. Devs promised more in detail discussion of the deluxe items for next week, if you want to wait. But mostly the deluxe edition appears to be an option to give them more money just out of appreciation.

You can't underestimate the "pride" that those digital items get you. It's a way of showing off, and people dig that even if it was a particularly difficult item to acquire. If nothing else, people like to be able to say to others "I have more disposable income than you."

I've been trying for pretty much the last day to pre-order it, but am constantly getting looped back to the log in page, which after a while tells me "too many log in attempts" and won't even let me try. :\

Unless I try it in a beta, I am not buying. All I want to see is how my character looks and feels in battle...I wanna check how fluid and responsive the battle is. So not pre-order for me until open beta :)

NCSoft...I have a strong dislike for their style. As a business they do well, and they don't miss the bonus content market, digital or physical - I still treasure my collectors edition of Tabula Rasa, challenge coin, artwork and all.

They have a particularly nasty habit of terminating games though - as far as I'm concerned any game run by NCSoft is on a rather limited lifespan. Tabula Rasa, Auto Assault, both long closed.

Perhaps Aeon, don't remember now if that was under their banner - noticed it was a F2P/P2W game now, though I admit Aeon was flawed from the start.